Aervana #1 - Group 2 - (IC Thread)

[Flux]

Nash looked out over what he could see of the sands as the others finished what they were doing. The silence was eerie after finding the bodies in that condition. As a group, they moved forward. Nash was taking a roundabout path, away from where the blood trail seemed to lead. He was sure that he didn't want to encounter whatever had killed those elves. They walked for a time, before a sound made Nash's blood run cold as his legs freeze in their tracks. It sounded like... breathing. It was heavy and labored, rasping as it entered the lungs of whatever it was. It was very low and animalistic, but the fact that they could hear it was what made Nash the most uneasy. He motioned for the others to be quiet, though they couldn't get much quieter than they were now. Looking ahead, Nash could see the trail of blood curving in from the other path.

"Figures we'd intercept whatever route it took, even trying to avoid it..." Nash thought.

There was a loud thumping noise. The group quickly gathered behind a pillar. The thumps -- no, the footsteps grew louder as they approached. Judging by the time between thumps, it seemed to be limping. The heavy breathing continued. Nash took a glimpse around the stone. A few pillars down, near the trail of blood, he could see the beast's head as it rounded the corner. He quickly ducked behind the corner again, keeping his breathing quiet. Its head had resembled a ram, its twisting horns covered in blood. One of them had been snapped halfway, and it had been missing an ear.

"Looks like those elves didn't go down without a fight..." he thought.

The creature was big, there was no doubt about it. It's head had been many times Nash's own height above the ground. The thumping footsteps continued, coming closer and closer. The ground shook as the beast approached their hiding place. Eventually the footsteps stopped. He could not see the beast, but it had to be close. The was a large exhale of air, and Nash could feel it blow around the pillar. Its moist breath stank of death. It was behind them. No doubt it had heightened senses compared to a human, likely smell if it had found them. Nash motioned to the others to be ready. The pillar shook from an unseen impact. He slowly drew the greatsword off of his back, the sheath making a light scraping noise as the blade exited. That was all it took. The beast rammed the pillar, breaking it right in the middle. Chunks of rock flew out of the gap, right over their heads. The towering top half slowly began its descent towards the group, gaining momentum as it tipped.

"RUN!" Nash shouted, diving out of the way of the debris. He saw Rhea and the others doing the same. He stood as the dust cleared, his gaze being drawn to the full form of the beast, now in sight. It towered above them, its eyes glowing a bright red in its ram head. Blood covered the side of its face where the ear was missing. It stood on hooved legs, and its torso resembled a human's. The whole thing was covered in a deep brown fur, with a lighter mane around its neck. It had muscular arms, ending with clawed hands. There were cuts all along its legs and torso, some deep and others more shallow. Its mouth was filled with sharp teeth, all bloodstained. It grunted, and flames spurted from the sides of its open mouth. Nash raised his sword slightly. It appeared they'd have no choice but to finish what the elves had started.

[Jory]

Roland tucked forward into a roll from his dive, moving safely out of the way of the falling mass of stone. His attention shifted immediately to the beast in front of him. It was far and away the most dangerous looking creature he had ever encountered. Its stench was horrid, and it seemed to be a bevy of abominations all rolled into one. The ranger immediately began to identify its weaknesses. Its eyes seemed to be the best target for him, as his arrows would only burn to a crisp in the creatures gullet. "Aim for the eyes and nostrils. And whatever you do, do not let it grab hold of you!" he shouted. With that, he started running toward another pillar. He reached back and grabbed an arrow from his quiver, deftly brought it to the bowstring, and fired it at the creature's face. He then put his head down and sprinted for the pillar, hoping to have gotten the beast's attention.

[Flux]

The beast flinched as it saw the arrow, causing a glancing blow to its cheek. As planned, Roland had gained the beast's attention. It turned to his direction, catching sight of the ranger running headlong towards the pillar. It lumbered after him, its longer legs giving it surprising speed, despite its limp. It swung a hand downward towards Roland, hoping to crush him with its open palm.

[Jory]

Roland cut immediately to the right, adroitly avoiding the palm and changing direction so that the beast would be running toward another pillar. He nocked another arrow on the run and turned, moving a bit more slowly to fire another shot toward the beast's face. He did not pause to see whether he hit his mark or not, tucking his head and sprinting for the pillar.

[Marissa]

The creature once again set it's sights on Roland, giving Alleria time to cast. "You," Alleria's voice shock with rage, ""you will pay for what you did." She briefly considered casting the same spell she had used to take down the wyrm, then thought better of it. If the flames that had come from it's mouth were any indication, this was a creature of fire. Rather than attack it with it's own element, if would be better to try and go for what would likely be it's weakness: Water.

"Prepare to get wet - Aqua Jet!"

Water shot out from Alleria's staff in a laser like fashion, hitting the creature in the face.

Edited August 14, 2014 by Marissa

[Flux]

The beast turned to Alleria as the water hit its face. It didn't seem to have hurt the beast much, but had rather drawn its attention. It turned away from Roland and towards the elven mage. The beast roared as it approached, and the pillars themselves seemed to shake from the deafening sound. It breathed a torrent of fire towards the elf, and its heat could be felt even from Roland's distance.

[Jory]

Roland turned around as he heard the beast charge away. He began to run after it, the pair darting ahead parallel to the fallen pillar. The ranger spied a crack ahead where the pillar had broken when it fell. He wore determined expression as he reached the crack, his cloak billowing behind him as he began to scale the rubble, losing some ground on the beast but gaining a height advantage. He began to sprint on top of the pillar, running after the large, angry beast. He could only hope that Alleria, Crag, Megaira, Rhea, and Nash could hold off their fearsome foe until Roland was able to bring down the horror before them.

[Marissa]

The torrent of fire raced towards Alleria; if it hit it would likely be fatal. Alleria didn't have to to cast a spell it counter it, her only chance was to dodge. She raced towards the nearest pillar, hoping to use it as a sort of shield against any future attacks. That is, if she lived long enough to survive until then. Athletics weren't exactly her strong point.

Edited August 16, 2014 by Marissa

[Flux]

Rhea quickly whispered the words to a prayer -- she hoped it would be in time. Frantically she thrust her arms forward as she finished the last words closing her eyes and hoping it worked. Slowly, she opened them, letting herself exhale in relief. A barrier of pure light had formed around Alleria, the beast's flames washing off to the sides.

-------------------------

Nash ran forward, glancing at Roland as he approached the beast.

"Aye!" he called out. "I'll draw it's attention! You just do as much damage as you can from up there!"

The beast turned at the sound of Nash's voice, facing the warrior. It slammed a palm down at him, which he narrowly avoided. He took the chance to swing at the back of its fingers with his greatsword, making a shallow cut as it withdrew its hand.

[Jory]

Roland glanced back at Nash, taking the warrior's words to heart. He wore a determined expression as he prepared for his assault on the beast. I hope this works, he thought to himself. Just as he reached the beast, he veered slightly to the left and drew his two long knives. He leapt from the pillar, holding his weapons high above his head as he sailed through the air toward the massive creature. He drove his knives forward as he neared his targeted landing area, plunging them into the back of the beast's neck and beginning to repeatedly stab at it.

[Flux]

The beast let out a roar of pain and anger as Roland's knives dug into its neck. However, the thick skin and muscle it bore protected it from a fatal blow. It seemed that Roland's knives would not be long enough. Still, he had dealt a massive blow to the beast. Blood pour from the wound, but Roland would find it extremely hot to touch. The beast began to draw a hand towards the back of its neck, attempting to grab Roland.

[Nico Nico Nii~]

Watching long enough, Megaira used a hand to create an illusion near the beast's head, displaying what would seem to the beast spirits if the dead elves it killed earlier, but more horrifying. She then, with her other hand, summoned spirits to hold the beast in place, hoping now it will be distracted by the illusion to see no incoming attacks and binding its legs to prevent it from moving. "Go attack now," she said to the group, "I'm unsure for how long the spirits and illusion will last, so make use of this time."

[Jory]

Roland recoiled at the high temperature of the beast's blood, causing his longer knife to come loose. Acting quickly, he sheathed his saxe and and pulled himself up using the handle of the other knife. From this angle he was able to grab onto the beast's horns and vault up to its head, narrowly avoiding its swiping hand. Then, he drew his saxe once more and plunged it toward the joint of the beast's neck and head.

Edited August 16, 2014 by Jory

[Flux]

The beast roared as visions of the elves appeared before its eyes. They had fallen to it, just as these humanoids would. There was a visible struggle as it tried to move its legs, the binding appearing to have worked. It let out a roar of pain as Roland's knife once again plunged into its neck. The creature's eyes began to glow a brighter red as flames poured out of its mouth and nostrils. It reared back with Roland still atop of it, spreading its arms and releasing a deafening battle cry. It charged with unbelievable speed towards a standing pillar, breaking the binding spell placed upon its legs. It lowered its head as it ran, attempting to smash Roland into the pillar with a headlong ram.

[Jory]

The demon reared its head, the sheer force of this action throwing Roland off of it. Once again he was left dangling by his knives as the bull began its charge toward the pillar. He placed his forearm against the beast's back, searing it on the creature's blood as he pushed off with his legs. The knife slid free with a sickening noise and the ranger fell to the ground, landing hard on his back and rolling to the side. He looked up at the sky, his vision still blurry from disorientation. At least I am alive, he thought to himself, standing up and moving unsteadily back toward his allies.

Edited August 17, 2014 by Jory

[Marissa]

Their attacks weren't working. If it weren't for Rhea, Alleria probably wouldn't even be alive right now. She would have to remember to thank her once they were out of danger...if they lived that long anyway. Roland seemed to have injured it, but the the monster showed no signs of slowing down. Alleria cursed her inability to do anything. Even if her first spell had failed, she had to try again. She couldn't stand by and do nothing. Besides, she had reached a pillar in the opposite direction of the beast, which she could hopefully use as a shield if it decided to play fire tag again. She doubted a fire spell would work, but she tried anyway.

"Set the skies ablaze - Firery Haze!"

A flaming vortex engulfed the creature.

[Flux]

The beast had stopped before hitting the pillar, realizing the human was off of its back. Just as it had began to turn around, it was engulfed in flames. There was a mighty roar as the beast whipped its arms outward, dissipating the fire. It's fur was charred, but it was hard to tell exactly how much damage had been done. It began slowly lumbering towards the elven mage, flames sputtering from its open mouth.

---------------------------------------

Rhea crouched by Jory.

"Are you all right?" she asked, a worried look on her face. "I can help if you need it..."

[Jory]

Roland shook his head, clearing his vision. He then looked up at Rhea. "I am fine. It is Alleria you should be concerned about!" he said, pointing in alarm to the beast as it charged toward the mage. The ranger quickly stood up and unslung his bow from his back. He went to raise it, but his face fell as he saw his weapon. The wood had snapped in half, leaving it useless. Roland tossed it to the side and turned to Rhea once more. "I need to get in close. You, Alleria, and Megaira must distract this foul creature." With that, he began to move toward the beast, planning to go pillar to pillar until he was close enough to strike.

[Flux]

Rhea nodded as Jory ran off. She could see Nash in the distance, closing in on the beast's legs from behind. He swung his sword at its ankle, aiming for the tendon. His hit rang true, cutting deep, and the beast collapsed to one knee.

"That'll teach ya... to mess with us!" he yelled, his face portraying the anger that only battle could bring out.

Still, the beast would not give in. It reached back quickly with a hand, grabbing Nash before he could react. It slowly brought the hand in front of its face, barely above ground level. Flames poured from the sides of its mouth as it prepared to breathe fire.

-------------------------------

Rhea frantically finished the words to her prayer, praying that it would be answered. The flames shot towards Nash as he squirmed in its grasp, but they were pushed aside by a barrier of light.

"Roland, please!" she shouted. "Cut him out of there!"

[Jory]

Roland finally reached the beast. He immediately leapt forward, swinging both long knives down at the beast's wrist in an attempt to save Nash.

[Flux]

The beast quickly dropped Nash as its wrist was cut into. Blood seeped from the gash as it roared in agony. It movements were slower now, and it seemed weaker.

Nash rolled to his feet, readying his greatsword and muttering his thanks.

"By my singed beard, ranger, I owe you one. And Rhea too." He nodded towards the beast, still kneeling on the ground.

"I'd reckon we can finish it here. It appears to have lost its strength... Still, be careful. I'll attack from below, see if you can get atop it."

[Jory]

Roland nodded wordlessly to Nash, taking the veteran's strategy and putting it into effect. He began to run, his breathing labored after the long and hard fight. He began to move in a wide circle around the beast, being careful not to attract too much attention as he moved toward the fallen pillar once more. He began to climb, making slower progress than before up the face of the structure. Eventually he reached the top and signaled to Nash that he was in position, waiting for the warrior to get the beast nearer to his vantage point.

[Flux]

Nash gave Roland a nod, seeing what the ranger had in mind. He charged at the beast as he ran past, swinging at its legs to draw its attention. The cuts were shallow, but they would get the job done. The beast turned towards him and tried to stand up, but only managed a crouch with its injured leg. It hobbled after Nash, still with surprising speed due to its size. He led it towards the fallen pillar, being careful to keep its attention away from Roland. As they neared the pillar, he swung around the beast's side, making it position its back towards Roland. He gave a thumbs up as he stood in fron of the beast, looking up into its angry eyes. He rolled to the side as it slammed a hand down towards him. Now he just had to make sure he survived long enough for Roland to finish the job.

[Jory]

Roland watched in anticipation as Nash distracted the beast, the warrior's years of experience showing as he expertly dodged the larger creature's blows. I should stop admiring his fighting and finish this, Roland realized as Nash gave him the signal to begin his attack. The ranger stood up and took a few steps back, sheathing his shorter knife, as his saxe had done most of the work last time anyway. He then leapt forward, his saxe held high above his head in a hammer blow as he sailed through the air toward the creature, his cloak billowing after him. With a mighty roar, the ranger reached his target and plunged the saxe once more into the back of the creature's neck just where it met the head, feeling the weapon sink deep into his enemy.

[Flux]

The beast let out a final roar of agony as the knife sunk into its neck. Its body stiffened before crumpling forward towards ground, arms stretched forward. Nash barely had time to get out of the way as the body fell. The ground shook as the weight of the beast hit, before all was still again. The desert was silent, save for the labored breathing of those who had participated in the battle. Just as Roland stepped off of the creature, it's body slowly took flame, burning away into nothingness. Surprisingly, there was no stench as the body burned.

Rhea plopped herself down on the sand, the level of danger they had just escaped from finally taking hold on her psyche. She put her head into her hands and was silent. Nash returned his greatsword to his back before making his way toward Roland.

"That was... nice work," he said gruffly. "...I don't know what that thing was, but we felled it, and that's an accomplishment of its own. This is an encounter that the bards would sing of for ages, but unfortunately, the only proof we have is our word." He sighed. "Still, I'm just glad to be out of this alive. We'd best get to the city with the daylight we have left. I'd not want to encounter something else like this..."

And so the group marched on through the pillars, the events of the day leaving no room for conversation, only a solemn silence until they entered the capital, Sakiiri.

End of Chapter 1